This is going to seem really out there, so rest assured that it’s just a bit of fun. I don’t think any of these connections are at all intentional.
I’m reading Infinite Jest and I can’t help but be reminded of the Godfather, specifically how the Incandenza family reminds me of the Corleone family.
1. There’s the father figure who isn’t present for most of the book but affects the story even when he isn’t. The books explore his backstory extensively via flashbacks. He looms large over every aspect of the narrative.
2. There’s the oldest son who is brash and physically strong, but also a smooth-talking womanizer. He sometimes has a strained relationship with his siblings because he talks down to them.
3. There’s the middle son who nobody takes seriously because he’s a little dopey or physically disabled. But he helps with his father’s business and represents an honest sincerity which contrasts the rest of the characters in the story.
4. There’s the youngest son, the main character of the story, who is the smart one, the one who is most recently inducted into the family business (or became a tennis prodigy, it’s equivalent for IJ’s example), and who suffers the dire consequences of his poor choices throughout the story.
5. There’s even a smaller connection via Joelle Van Dyne/Lucy Mancini. Both are romantically connected to the oldest son and work for the family for a time, but after being left behind, they attempt suicide and end up seeking treatment for their particular disorders (an acid-damaged face/drug addiction in the former case, overly large genitalia for the latter).
I just thought these parallels were interesting, even if entirely coincidental (and I can’t think of two radically different types of novels).
Are there any books where you found weird and random parallels between events/characters?
by PencilMan